The Peanuts Movie Was Long Overdue But Worth The Wait

Peanuts creator Charles Schulz passed away in 2000. His characters Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Snoopy and the others live in The Peanuts Movie. It is the fifth full-length Peanuts movie and the first feature movie in 35 years.

A Peanuts movie was long overdue with animation being the top movie genre in the movie business now.

The Peanuts Movie keeps the series’ unique style and feeling because the movie was co-written by Schultz's son Craig and grandson, Bryan. I am familiar with The Peanuts looking like the comic strip. The Peanuts Movie is mostly 3-D computer animated. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the computer generated Charlie Brown and Snoopy. There are flashback scenes that actually use Schulz’s drawings.

I have not read the Peanuts comic strip for awhile and occasionally watch the Peanuts TV specials. The Peanuts Movie brought back so many great memories about the characters and their special quirks such as Charlie Brown trying to fly a kite, Snoopy taking on the Red Baron and Lucy giving advice.

The movie starts with school being out for a snow day. Everyone is playing outside. Charlie Brown has a special mission to fly a kite and have it not eaten by the Kite Eating tree. Everyone tells him it is crazy to fly a kite in the winter. Charlie Brown persists on and for a moment, the kite is airborne.  Then in Charlie Brown fashion, the kite starts to go crazy dragging Charlie Brown over the ice rink with kids, the snow and ending up at the Kite Eating tree.

We are sympathetic with Charlie Brown as nothing goes his way. He continues to wonder why. Snoopy consoles him in his kooky way. The strange and enduring relationship between Charlie Brown and Snoopy is one of the hearts of the Peanuts world.

On that snow day, a new family moves in across Charlie Brown and his sister Sally. Next day in school, we find out just who moved in and it is the Red-Haired Girl, the elusive girl of Charlie Brown’s dreams.

Charlie Brown is frustrated that his ever present bad luck will prevent the Red-Haired Girl from noticing him.

In a session with Lucy, she tells him to try to be more confident. Charlie Brown takes her advice and attempts to do magic at the school's talent show, but he rescues Sally whose act in the show isn't working, but at the expense of his. Of course, the Red-Haired Girl is in the audience. Good grief.

Next, Charlie Brown learns the Red-Haired Girl likes to dance. So, he learns to dance with Snoopy's assistance. At the dance, Charlie Brown dances well to the delight of the others. Then, he slips and sets off the sprinkler system cutting the dance short and his chance with the Red-Haired Girl.

The Red-Haired Girl is in the same class as Charlie Brown. Miss Othmar, the teacher with the Wal Wal sound effects voice gives the class a quiz. Charlie Brown smitten with the Red-Haired girl hurries to finish. He and Peppermint Patty raced to the teachers’ desk, trying not to be the last one to hand in the quiz. They sign any quiz and hand them in.

Later, Charlie Brown gets a perfect score on the quiz and is hailed as a genius. After looking at the actual quiz, he realizes Peppermint Patty got the perfect score. He admits that to everyone.

I like this aspect of The Peanuts Movie showing a character like Charlie Brown demonstrating his humility especially since there were kids in the audience. It was a great lesson for them to learn.

In the movie, Snoopy gets his storyline about finding a typewriter and starts writing about his alter ego, The Flying Ace taking on the Red Baron. Also in the story, he meets FiFi, a beautiful dog pilot and falls for her in a funny Snoopy way.

All in all, The Peanuts Movie is a wonderful movie for us who remember The Peanuts and a generation who are now being introduced to them.

In the movie, Charlie Brown achieved something that I don't believe ever happen to him in the movies and TV specials. I will not give it away, but it is very sweet.

I was glad to have my Peanuts experience rekindled. The Peanuts Movie is a total must see.

Spectre Was Worth The Wait For James Bond

I been waiting for the next James Bond movie since I saw James Bond Will Return in  the closing credits at the end of Skyfall, the last Bond movie in 2012.

 Spectre was worth the wait as Daniel Craig returns as superspy “007” James Bond. He just fits the part, there is focus and determination with him in every movie.

 Sam Mendes who directed Skyfall returns as director. Mendes is the perfect storyteller for the continuing story of Craig’s James Bond. He takes the time to tell the story which is filled with references and back stories involving the Bond character.

 The fun part of going to a Bond movie is that I know exactly what I am going get in the movie such as lots of action, jaw dropping stunts, interesting locations and beautiful women. Spectre delivers on all fronts.

 

 

The storyline begins with the assassin named Marco Sciarra who was meeting with some people in the hotel room in Mexico City. Their plan is to blow up a stadium full of people.  Bond tracks them down and starts firing bullets in the room from an adjacent building rooftop. One of Bond’s bullet hits the the bomb and blows up the room which starts the building to collapse towards Bond.  It is an awesome visual stunt. You think that Bond is going to be crushed, but he lands on his seat literally.

 Sciarra escapes blast and is on the run with Bond in pursuit. He makes to a helicopter and flies off, but in true Bond fashion, Bond jumps onto the copter. Bond and Sciarra fight.  As Bond is throwing Sciarra off the helicopter. He takes Sciarra’s octopus ring.

 Later, we find out that Bond’s Mexico City assignment was not sanctioned by the agency. M played by Ralph Fiennes takes Bond off of active duty.

 In another plot line, there is a power struggle going on between MI5 and MI6. C, the head of MI6 is creating an intelligence agreement between nine countries. He wants to shut down the “00“which Bond is a part of.

 Bond feels that there is more to Sciarra than just blowing up a stadium. He disobeys M and travels to Rome to attend Sciarra’s funeral, where he meets his widow, Lucia played by Monica Bellucci. Later that evening, there is an attempt on Lucia's life, Bond comes to the rescue and saves her life.

 In return, she tells him of the criminal organization to which her husband belonged to. She tells Bond that they are meeting that night. Bond enters the meeting by showing the ring that he took from Sciarra.

 As the meeting continues, the head of the organization mentions the incident in Mexico City and then Bond by name and welcomes him to the meeting. Bond takes off running and gets into the cool bulletproof Astro Martin in the parking lot.

 Of course, there is a great car chase scene. Hinx, an assassin played by Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy) for the organization is in hot pursuit after Bond.

 Later, we find out the crime organization is called Spectre.

 Lea Seydoux who plays Dr. Madeleine Swann is strong and expressive as she is the one key that Bond needs in finding out more about Spectre. In one dinner scene on a train, Dr. Swann is dressed in a beautiful silk like elegant dress and walks up to Bond who is in a tuxedo, just staring at her.  She says “You should stop staring.” Bond replies “ You should stop looking so good.” A great line that fitted the moment.

 

 The villain is such an important part of a Bond film. Christoph Waltz as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the mastermind behind Spectre is very chilling in the role. Spectre has been mentioned in other Bond films like 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever.”

 Blofeld and Bond have a history link which made the plot line for Spectre more interesting.

 Another thing I enjoyed about the movie was that there were plot points from previous Bond movies including Mr. White and the other villains being linked to Spectre.

 I love that Naomie Harris is back as Miss. Moneypenny as she showed tremendous loyalty to Bond. Ben Whishaw as Q provided some cool gadgets for Bond and was out in the field as well as in the lab.

 Spectre works on its own as the other Craig’s James Bond movies laid the groundwork for this movie.

 

As the movie crowd left, I stayed to see the final credits say “James Bond Will Return.” I can’t wait. I am still humming the James Bond theme song.